How To Backup Your Images

Recently I've been asked by quite a few people what I use to backup my libraries of photos.  In reality I use multiple solutions, not just one.  I have 4 TB of storage on my main computer, 3 External Hard drives, Online Cloud Storage & I store DVDs of images at an off site location. 

Sound excessive? Its not. Mechanical hard disks WILL fail.  If you don't store anything off-site, what happens if your studio/house burns down or gets broken into? I don't ever want to have to explain to a client why I lost their images.

Here's the breakdown of my plan:

After I shoot, I do not erase my memory card until the images are downloaded to my computer and backed up to an external hard drive / indestructible thumbdrive.  If I am backlogged  - I might dump all the images onto Wuala (cloud storage)  just for safe keeping.  If I am not backlogged the images will get culled, edited and uploaded to Pictage as soon as possible.  Pictage provides a lifetime backup of your images - once I get my images to Pictage I feel much better, until then I can backup 80 GB onto my waterproof / fireproof USB thumb drives - made by LaCIE available on Amazon.com.


SERVICES I USE:

Wuala - (Cloud Storage) For Backup of shoots in 1 calendar year - this also gives me access to files from anywhere so if I go on travel and want to work on images & I forgot to transfer them to my laptop I have access.  Pretty sweet service. Its free to sign up and my referral link gives you an extra 1 GB free
( http://www.wuala.com/referral/33PMK55K5H66FK3JMHAJ)

Pictage -  (Cloud Storage) - Lifetime backup of all images uploaded into system.  Monthly fee to use Pictage.

Local & External Hard Drive Space: I use my computer to store 2-3 yrs of the most recent images, Raw & JPG files.  My external hard drive is an exact replica. I have a thing for LaCIE hard drives - some people hate them but I have had great success with them.

DVDs / Solid State Storage - At the end of each year I backup all shoots and mail them off to my parents house, boring I know and time consuming.  I'm waiting for solid state hard drives to become cheap then I will just have one for every year and mail it off.  Key to solid state hard drives are - no moving parts, yes they can still fail but failure is less likely.

So there you have it: for me to lose all my images: my house, my parents house, Pictage & Wuala would all have to crash at the same time - whats the probability in that?

Highlands Ranch Photographer {Newborn Twins}

Lainey & Parker at five weeks old! Mom & Dad are lucky to have such beautiful babies.  They were lots of fun to work with.  We were able to capture wonderful photos of each of them during the first shoot, but they were WIDE awake so it was really difficult to get a picture of them together without someone smacking the other with an arm or leg.  On the second day, brother was cooperative and sleepy and sister was wide awake but content!  In the end, it was all a success.  Watch their slideshow to see some of the outtakes, still super cute!

Miner Family Portraits at DeKoevend Park

When I arrived at DeKoevend Park for this family portrait session the temperature was 50 degrees, it was bright and sunny (and warm) I even took my coat off during the first half of the shoot.  But something happened while we were there and the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees - when I left my car said it was 32 degrees outside!!!  Poor miss Charlotte got mighty cold by the time we finished.

We also photographed her 4 - legged friends:

Family Portrait At Red Rocks Park In Morrison, Colorado

On the day of this family portrait session I woke up and thought that there must be a fire in the mountains because their was a thick haze covering the mountains.  I was really worried about the whole situation and as I drove from Highlands Ranch to Red Rocks I actively listened to the radio to figure out if something was going on.  When I got there the answer was "Fall Fog" and it really put my normally bright red rocks colors into a bit of a haze.

This was an original image from the shoot before any adjustments were made to the color:

 

This is an image in the same series after the reds were brightened to bring out the rock color

Denver Family Photographer - {Rice Family Session}

Have you ever chased around a 2 yr old trying to take their photo in a place full of exciting things? That is what this session was all about! But it was so much fun - we chased miss Eleanor up & down stairs, around and around back up and down the stairs - haha.  Eleanor was definitely the most active two year old I've photographed yet.  But by the end of the session she wanted me to carry her (probably all that running around) and offered to make me a burger once we found a kitchen! So cute!

Engagement Session in Downtown Denver {Bryan & Jakki}

For Jakki & Bryan's Engagement session we decided to shoot in downtown Denver starting off at the blue bear.  If you are from Denver you know where the blue bear is - its an icon of downtown and a bit of an odd one.  I've always wondered who came up with putting a large blue bear statue peeking into the convention center - or it would have been kind of funny to sit in the meeting where that was first proposed. 

I really can't wait until their wedding - they are so in love and so much fun to work with!

Handmade Pottery Gifts by Season's Pottery

Client Spotlight: Season Cowdrey - Season's Pottery

I've been photographing the Cowdrey family since April 2008 - when I went over to take some pictures of Brian for his real estate business cards.  I was able to sneak a couple pics of his son Ashton but Ayla was out with mommy (old post here).  Brian ended up selling us the house we are living in now in May 2009.  I was lucky enough to shoot their twins both last year and this year.  They are so much fun too! (2010 blog post).

This year Season bought a kiln and started making some amazing pottery! She's started a facebook business page showing off her amazing creations and will soon start an Etsy business. When she posted these little cute mitten ornaments on Facebook I just had to get some. Here is a link to her facebook business page where you can pick up something for yourself.  Along with her goodies shown here she can make you just about anything custom.  Oh and she can make you or your little one a custom tea set - amazing.

"I make pottery. I love to create, to dream, to make things that make you feel at home, things that you love to use, to hold, to touch, to keep and pass on to your children. The everyday, ordinary objects that take you back to your childhood, or better yet will make the memories for your child's!" - Quoted on Season's Pottery Facebook Page

I am a firm believer in following your dreams and doing things you love!

Our 2010 Thanksgiving

A little late but I still wanted to share these images I took of our Thanksgiving this year.  James' mom came up from Houston to cook us Thanksgiving.  James was super sick the whole time but still managed to eat one small sliver of turkey, world famous stuffing, and a piece of cherry pie.  The pie didn't make it long enough to get photographed. 

Of course I couldn't resist a photo of two very happy doggies - waiting on their Thanksgiving turkey. Yes - they did get a tiny piece each.

Lynch Family Portraits at DeKoevend Park

DeKoevend Park is my go to park, when all else fails - DeKoevend is there to save me.  The park is located on University drive just north of Arapahoe and the park is huge! So with that said, come shoot here! You will LOVE it just like me.

These were done Late Late Late fall - in fact I didn't expect the park to have any leaves left.  Just like always DeKoevend came through for me.  In the spring this area of the park is not accessible because its the creek bed and it has water in it or mud,  In the fall & winter its just sandy and full of leaves (yellow ones).

Lucy & Linus joined us for the shoot and I have to say if you bring your dogs just be ready for even more fun and excitement.  I am definitely a dog person so I love working with them, so seriously bring them =)

Nathan & Sarah at Platte River Bike Trail in Littleton, CO

When Patty asked if I'd photograph Nathan & Sarah for her Holiday photos I was ecstatic.  I love photographing twins they are so exciting and lately I've done 3-4 families with twins.  I'm not sure if there is something in the water here but I've photographed more twins in the last 1.5 yrs than I've known my whole lifetime.

Its such a change of pace to photograph older kids, they actually listen and do what you say - craziness.  I guess I've been around 2 yr olds too long where I feel that I have to play the opposite game to get them to do remotely what I would like.

We photographed these on a Colorado bike trail in Littleton. I believe it is part of the high line canal or maybe the south platte river greenway just south of Mineral drive. I had lots of fun creating these photos.  Its hard to nail down my favorite but I love the one of them laughing at each other and the photograph of Sarah throwing leaves.  I feel that photo screams "FALL". 

5 Quick DIY Tips for Photographing Families!

How to take professional looking pictures - DIY Photo Tips

I absolutely love taking photos of families, maybe its the challenge, the craziness or the fun. I think its actually all of the above. I've put together a quick list of things that will help make your family photos better & hopefully less stressful for all!

1) Make the photo fun - a 2 yr old is definitely going to rebel if mom is forcing her to stand still look at the camera and smile - instead try to get the 2 yr old to interact with her family members first (hug, kiss, tickles, whatever it is) then ask for her to look and smile - my favorite images are the candid ones anyways =) 

For a serious photographer - the instant you arrive on the shoot, start getting shots of the kiddos, these can be some of my favorite shots from the whole shoot - just because the kiddos are in the stage of who are you and what are you doing. (Caroline on Left - first shot of the shoot, before heading outdoors)

2) Shoot outdoors - I LOVE THE OUTDOORS, I live in Colorado so I should love them. Look for shade. Make sure EVERYONE is fully in the shade, even if you know nothing about lighting you will still come up with stellar images in the shade. Make sure your background is in the shade too.

Try fun things - bring a chair into the middle of a field - Khloe on Right - at Mid-day usually not the best lighting conditions, but I pulled it off here using a reflector.

3) Remember the camera has absolutely no idea what you are taking photos of so its going to try and decide what it thinks the exposure is. The camera determines its exposure from averaging all the color values into a drab gray color (like an overcast sky) so when photographing just look at the scene if you have only really bright whites the camera is going to take that white and make it gray (so it will be slightly under exposed) same with a really black scene - the camera will also make that gray. Just try to find a background with a variety of shades of color then you will have the most success.

4) Take more than just one shot - families have expressions, take a decent quantity unless you are sure that one came out. I take at least 2 of every shot because of expressions. If someone is a blinker, I usually have to take a few more. 

5) Hire me, haha or someone else to take your family photos - sometimes kids just react better to someone else doing the shots instead of a family member they are used to.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment.

Sharon

Hastings Family Portrait in Parker, CO

First of all, I think all my clients are amazing.  Chance, however, is one of the most creative clients I know.  She has her own etsy store "Made By Chance" selling CUTE little fabric crafts and its no surprise that her kiddos have some of the cutest clothing!  She made their Halloween costumes - so adorable.  She also loves the color Yellow! Which I love that she isn't afraid to throw some nice color into their outfits.  I love the yellow jacket she has.  Kind of jealous of that because, if you can't tell from my photos - I love color and I love high contrast.

Raval Family Portraits at City Park in Denver, CO

The Raval's were lots of fun to work with and little Matthew made sure that we kept the shoot fun and exciting.  We met up at City Park in Denver, CO for the shoot and it was a wonderful day for photos. I was actually a bit worried about shooting in City Park versus the ungroomed parks in the suburbs but the park worked wonderfully.  The light was amazing, filtering through the trees and creating some fun to work with shadows.

Borie Family Portrait at Red Rocks Park

Second shoot ever at Red Rocks.  The Borie's live directly across the street from me and I have yet to do their photos until now.  They are friends with another photographer and are really happy with their images so I didn't expect to be asked to shoot them but this year they asked me.  This makes me really happy - not because I am stealing clients from other photographers but because it proves that I am capturing something special for each family and putting my personal creative style into it.  I am creating something different, that you can't get from just any photographer.

One thing I have to say about my images is that they have great color.  I see the world as a bright vibrant, fun place - so I make sure that my photos show that.  Lately I've been developing an action, which I call the Anthro look - to look like it came out of an Anthropologie Catalog - which I am completely in love with their clothes and catalog.  Their October catalog had split toning on almost all the images, with yellow as the highlight and blue as the dark values - its still a work in progress and I've decided that I have to shoot the images to fit into it instead of just trying to apply it to any old image.

Castaldi Family Portraits in Trailmark Neighborhood

Two year olds are definitely some of my most difficult clients - if they sense that the shoot is not fun, then they don't want anything to do with it.  I am challenged to get the shots the parents want while still making the shoot fun.  I think that outdoor shoots work best at this age because we can do a couple family shots then let them run around, or let them swing between parents, tickles, laughter, hugs - the emotions can be amazing.  However once a two year old senses that mom and dad are forcing them to sit a particular way or do something - thats when my shoots take a turn and then it is a struggle for everyone.

For this shoot we did a mixed mobile studio / backyard location shoot. I am definitely partial to outdoor shoots, I love the COLOR, the natural - laid back look, and did I mention I love color?  I guess I'm just not a Richard Avedon type shooter (people on white backgrounds).